Scottish composer and conductor James MacMillan intertwines the political and the spiritual in his work. He draws on Catholic and Scottish musical traditions, while addressing liberation theology. His composition ‘Tuireadh’ (Lament) is dedicated to the 167 victims of the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster. Piper Alpha was an oil platform that exploded and collapsed under the effect of sustained gas jet fires in 1988. Mcmillan's lament for the dead premiered on June 25, 1991, at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Scotland. Nazanin Noori and Andrea Belfi have reworked ‘Tuireadh’, incorporating drums, rhythmic percussion and modular electronics, as a tribute to the cries of mourners of human cost.

The piece was commissioned by The Lake Radio as part of our Works for Radio 2024 with support from Koda's Cultural Funds and was selected by an international jury consisting of representatives from Seydisfjordur Community Radio (IS) and Retreat Radio (SE).